Fullers Vintage Ale 1998

Formerly brewed at Fullers
Style: English Strong Ale
London, England

Bottle – drank in 2004 – Poured a hazy medium brown colored beer with an above average foamy off-white head. Aroma is a mix of plums, dried raisins with strong malt. Taste is absolutely wonderful, like a mix between a English strong ale, a barley wine and even an old ale. The plums, dried raisins and post-like taste make this one of the best dessert beer I ever had. Alcohol is very subtle and body is quite strong. What also surprised me was the fact that even 8 years after being brewed, it still had great carbonation. Too bad I don’t have another bottle because I believe this could be cellared for a couple more years and still be great. This one is by far the best beer by Fullers and probably one of the best English beers I had the chance to try.

Hazy brown color with a small off white head and nice lacing on the glass. Aroma was fruity, scipy, sweet and malty. Taste also was sweet and fruity, some cinnamon and toffee, with very light alcohol present.

Cloudy brown with more head than I’d expect from something of this vintage. Aromas of dried fruits and mostly sticky sweet malts. First impression was I’m glad we drank this when we did, as it’s either right at it’s prime or a few months past. Taste is mostly malt with some esters that keep this still drinkable. Mild hop bitterness, mellow orange peel, and toffee.

Tasted as part of a vertical tasting that included the ’98, ’99, ’00, ’01 and ’03 (thanks Eyedrinkale!). Bottle # 38772. Poured a darker, cloudy amber color with a small tan head. Aromas and tastes of caramel, toffee, raisins and plums. Very light spices. Smell was also a little musty. This one seemed past it prime and on the decline.

Sampled at the RBESP 2004
Aroma has raisins, oranges, chocolate, a bit roast and noticable alcohol Cloudy amber, low creamy head. Quite spicy, wood, cognac roast, a bit chocolate , alcohol burn. Oily mouthfeel, low carbonation. Not that harmonic overall.

Bottled: Clear amber coloured. Beige medium sized head. Vineous, fruity and light alcaholic aroma. Almonds, sweetness and some light port notes in the flavour. Has a light alcaholsweetness in the end. Quite like this.

In the bottle at the 2004 Crescent Moon Vintage Beer Tasting. Amber to pink in color. So buttery. High in esters. Fruity and bulbus. I should start buying these up and aging them. They get graceful.

Bottled. Clear dark amber. Very sweet and really toffeeish. Caramelly and overly sugary. Mature salty finish with sugar and hoppy bitterness. Some beautiful flavours lures beneath the sea of sweetness.